


House of Ventus

by Michdie



Series: Chez Moi [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alcohol mentioned but not really shown, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe-Nightclub, DJ!Ven, F/M, Fluff, Music, No Smut, Some kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 15:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18995821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michdie/pseuds/Michdie
Summary: Skuld drags Strelitzia to a nightclub to look for a man, but Strelitzia is too shy to talk to anyone. Until she locks eyes with the cute DJ on stage, that is. But is there any way she can talk to him when he's busy working? Or will he go out of his way to talk to her?





	House of Ventus

**Author's Note:**

> DJ Ven is best Ven.

            Strelitzia took a deep breath and looked at the large building standing in front of her, the brown brick façade lit dimly by street lamps. The name of the joint gleamed bright in the darkness—neon green, cursive letters spelling “House of Ventus” above the front doors. She could see multi-colored lights shining through the windows and felt the steady bass of music pulsing, even from where she stood in the parking lot. A chilly breeze blew through the midnight air, and she wished she had brought a jacket. Or stayed home altogether.

            “Skuld,” she said, turning to her roommate beside her, “Are you sure about this?”

            “Come on, Strelitzia,” Skuld said, throwing her arm around her friend, “This’ll be good for you. It’ll give you a chance to get out of your shell.”

            Strelitzia rolled her eyes. She hated that phrase, “get out of your shell.” Just because she was shy, didn’t mean that she had to change herself, but apparently Skuld thought so, which, in her mind, justified why she had dragged Strelitzia out to a dance club in the middle of the night in the first place.

            “I don’t want any creepy guys hitting on me,” Strelitzia complained.

            “Don’t flatter yourself,” Skuld said with a grin.

            “Hey!” Strelitzia laughed and smacked Skuld lightly on the shoulder.

            “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’ll keep you safe from the creepy guys. Unless…you find a guy who isn’t so creepy.” Her grin turned sly.

            “What do you mean?” Strelitzia said with furrowed brows.

            “I mean maybe you’ll find a really cute guy,” Skuld explained, pulling her toward the entrance, “And you’ll fall in love and live happily ever after.”

            Strelitzia laughed with mirth, stepping into the line outside the front doors. “I doubt that.”

            They didn’t have to wait too long before getting to the front of the line, but, even though Strelitzia didn’t want to be there in the first place, she worried that the bouncer would reject them for not looking attractive enough, like she had seen on TV.

            The girls stepped up to the man guarding the front doors, dressed all in black with silver chains around his neck. Skuld showed him her I.D., and he let her through with a nod. She stepped to the side for Strelitzia to do the same. The bouncer looked her up and down with a frown.

            “I.D., please,” he said.

            Strelitzia pulled her driver’s license out of her clutch and handed it to the man, and he looked it over with a scowl.

            “Sorry,” he said, handing the card back to her, “Can’t let you in.”

_Oh my goodness, just like on TV_ , she thought after momentary surprise.

            “But, I’m twenty-three,” she argued, brows pulling together, “I’m pretty sure I’m old enough.”

            The bouncer shrugged. “Maybe I just don’t feel like letting you in,” he said.

            Skuld scoffed, ready to jump to her friend’s aid. “That’s ridiculous!” she said, “You won’t let her in because you don’t feel like it? That is so unfair, and completely unprofessional! I can’t believe…” she trailed off as the bouncer’s face spread into a wide grin.

            “I’m kidding!” he said with a wave of his hands, “Of _course_ you can go in. Did you really think I wouldn’t let you?” He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at Strelitzia.

            “Um, thanks,” she said instead of answering his question, quickly walking away from the man, pulling Skuld along. “That guy was weird,” she said, stepping through the doors.

            “Yeah,” Skuld agreed, “But forget about him. Let’s party!” She whooped loudly and stuck her fist in the air with a little hop.

            Strelitzia looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness inside the building. The front doors opened onto a balcony skirting around the spacious room, looking down on the dancefloor on the floor beneath them, with a large set of clear acrylic stairs directly in front of the girls, with a bar underneath the stairs. Neon gobo lights sent dancing shapes around the room and a laser light show flashed from the DJ booth on stage. Strelitzia and Skuld walked down the stairs, avoiding stumbling patrons and making their way to the dance floor.

            “Okay,” Skuld said, “Let’s find a guy for you.”

            “ _What_?” Strelitzia said, turning on her, “I thought you were joking about that.”

            “Oh, come on, Strelly,” she said, “How long are you going to let yourself stay single?”

            “Forever!” Strelitzia said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

            Skuld snorted and rolled her eyes. “Just get out there,” she said, turning Strelitzia around by her shoulders, “And look available.” She gave her a shove toward the dancefloor, and Strelitzia looked back at Skuld, giving her a glare.

            “I’ll be at the bar,” Skuld called to her over the music, “Call me if you need help.”

            “Don’t just abandon me!” Strelitzia cried, gesturing with her hands.

            Skuld laughed. “Fly, little bird!” With that, she scampered off.

            Strelitzia turned back to the dancefloor. It wasn’t too terribly cramped, so she was able to walk around easily, trying to follow Skuld’s advice, but failed, too shy to approach anyone. She sighed.

_Why did I let her talk me into this?_ she asked herself, running her hands through her pigtails. Strelitzia walked closer to the front of the dancefloor, occupying herself with watching the DJ work his magic on stage. Due to how the lights were set up, she could see him clearly, apart from his face, since he was hunched over his turn tables, fiddling with something. But she could see that he had spiky, blond hair and wore a skin-tight black t-shirt and lime green headphone hanging around his neck. Oh, and he had really nice biceps. Not that that mattered.

            He stood up straight, pressed a few buttons on the mixer, and looked up at the party-goers before him, making direct eye-contact with Strelitzia. She gasped softly. Whoever this DJ was, he was absolutely _beautiful_. His eyes, framed by his bangs, sparkled with the light show around him, and he had high cheek-bones and an angular jaw, coming to a soft point at his chin. They stared at each other for a few moments, but to Strelitzia, it felt much longer. The man smiled brightly at her, showing a full set of teeth and nearly knocking the breath right out of her, before looking back down at his mixer and getting back to work. Strelitzia sighed softly. Just her luck that the one man she might have wanted to talk to was busy at the moment.

            Someone grabbed Strelitzia’s arm and she whipped around, ready to punch the perpetrator in the face, but it was only Skuld, looking like she had seen a ghost. “Strelly, I think you’re right,” she said, “There _are_ creepy guys around here. Some nut just asked me to marry him.” Strelitzia laughed. “What about you? Any cute guys on the dancefloor?”

            “Well, there is one,” she said, nodding her head towards the DJ, “Shame he’s busy right now.”

            “Ooh, he’s cute,” Skuld said with a grin, looking up at him. Strelitzia also looked back up at the DJ, and he looked at her at the same moment with another smile crinkling his eyes. Skuld gasped. “He’s looking at you. Quick! Start dancing!” she said, beginning to bob to the music, “Try to look hot.” Strelitzia laughed and complied, letting herself relax with her friend’s presence. She raised her arms above her head and swayed her hips, wanting to look appealing but not too slutty. She didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about her.

            Strelitzia and the DJ made eye-contact several times as she danced, and each time, they smiled at one another. She wanted to talk to him but even the thought made her blush. He was working anyway, so she kept dancing, trying to push him from her mind, scoping out some other guys, but none were as cute as him. It seemed she couldn’t let the enigmatic DJ go.

            She sighed and looked back at him, catching and holding his gaze. She took a deep breath, willing herself to be bold for just a moment, and blew him a kiss, giggling giddily at her own bravery. She expected him to smile back as he had been doing all night, but his eyes grew wide, and he ducked his head, biting his bottom lip as a wide grin spread across his bright red face.

            Strelitzia also blushed deeply and turned away, grabbing Skuld’s arm and telling her what happened. Skuld giggled and jumped up and down excitedly.

            “That’s good!” she said, “Now he knows you’re interested. Maybe he’ll come find you later.”

            “Maybe,” Strelitzia said with a grin. They continued to dance, looking for a guy for Skuld to chat up, until their feet hurt, and they decided to take a break.

            The DJ followed the two girls with his eyes, watching them take a seat on a couch by the dance floor, as he prepared his last set before Ava could take over. He blushed again, thinking of how the redheaded one blew him a kiss. He couldn’t let her leave tonight with getting her number.

            Meanwhile, Strelitzia and Skuld sat chatting and giggling while they fanned their warm faces with their hands.

            “The DJ is totally into you!” Skuld shouted, “You have to marry him!”

            Strelitzia laughed. “I don’t know if he’s _totally_ into me, but I’ll try my best.”

            Just then, the music faded out and the DJ picked up a microphone. “Alright,” he said, and the two girls turned to look at him. “Before I begin my next set, I want to get the attention of the redheaded girl with the pigtails, right over there.” He pointed to her, and Strelitzia looked around, searching for any other redheads, but she was the only one in the vicinity. She put her hand on her chest, a question of indication. “Yeah, you,” he continued with a grin, “Don’t leave before I can get your number, alright, sweetheart?” Strelitzia gasped and blushed, covering her face as everyone in the room whooped and whistled. The DJ gave her one last smile before turning back to his mixer and starting up another song.

            “Like I said!” Skuld shouted, “ _Totally into you_!”

            He wanted to talk to her. He actually wanted to talk to her! Strelitzia’s heart beat a mile a minute as anxiety grew in her stomach. She swallowed and bit her lip, suddenly full of worry. She couldn’t talk to guys. _At all_. And now that one had thought it out in his brain and decided that he wanted to talk to _her_ , she didn’t know how she could let him without passing out or throwing up. In fact, her stomach started churning uncomfortably as Skuld spoke about how lucky Strelitzia was. But she wasn’t listening.

            “We have to go,” she said with a grimace, standing up and turning to run from the room. Skuld grabbed her arm.

            “The heck we are!” she said angrily, pulling Strelitzia back onto the couch. “You are _not leaving_. You are going to talk to him, and you’re gonna get his number and the two of you will get married and have beautiful babies. Got it?” Skuld gave her a stern glare.

            “I can’t talk to guys,” Strelitzia said, “You know that.”

            Skuld crossed her arms. “You are capable of speech,” she said, “That’s all you need. If you’re awkward, maybe he’ll think it’s cute.”

            Strelitzia groaned softly. “No he won’t, he’ll think I’m weird.”

            “No, he’ll think you’re adorable,” Skuld insisted but sighed when Strelitzia didn’t say anything else. “Come on, you need a drink.” She grabbed her hand and stood up, making her way to the bar.

            “Skuld, you know I don’t drink,” Strelitzia complained.

            “Don’t care,” She replied casually, forcing Strelitzia to sit down on a barstool. The bartender saw them and made his way over to take their orders.

            “So, what’ll it be…Sweetheart?” he said. Strelitzia looked up to see the bouncer who almost didn’t let her in.

            “Hey,” she said, “You’re the bouncer from earlier. Are you a bartender, too?”

            “Yeah, I’m kind of a Jack of all trades guy. A master of masters, if you will,” he said, wiping out a glass with a rag. “What can I get you girls?”

            “Apple martini,” Skuld said.

            Strelitzia hummed in thought. She didn’t drink, so she didn’t know any names of the drinks either. “Um, I’ll have the same thing, but can you make it virgin?”

            “Hey, I’m not a virgin!” the bartender cried, clutching his chest indignantly, but he smiled nonetheless. Strelitzia giggled.

            “Sorry,” she apologized, “Can you make it non-alcoholic?”

            “Of course, Sweetheart,” he said, “That’s your name, right?”

            “Actually, it’s Strelitzia.”

            “Gesundheit.” Strelitzia chuckled and shook her head as the bartender began making their drinks. He slid their glasses in front of them with a flourish when they were done, and the girls handed him their munny. Strelitzia picked up her drink took several long pulls from it, parched from dancing earlier.

            “Ooh, I think I forgot to make that non-alcoholic,” the bartender said with a guilty look on his face. Strelitzia paused and looked down at her drink. Was he joking again, or did he actually forget?

            “Uhh…” She wanted to tell him not to worry about it, but Strelitzia really didn’t like to drink, nor did she want to get drunk that night, especially with the prospect of talking to a guy (but maybe it would’ve helped with that). Thankfully, the bartender burst out laughing.

            “I’m kidding, I’m totally kidding,” he said, “You should have seen the look on your face.”

            Strelitzia breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you do that kind of thing to everyone?” she asked.

            “Only special people,” he said with a wink before turning to help another customer.

            “That guy is the special one,” Skuld muttered with a shake of her head. Strelitzia laughed. “So, what are you going to say to the DJ when you talk to him?”

            “Do you know that vine,” Strelitzia asked, “With the kid that says “Have you ever had a dream?” and then he starts stuttering incoherently? That’ll be me.”

            Skuld laughed out loud. “Come on,” she said, “You’re smart and interesting. Any guy would be lucky to talk to you.”

            “Perhaps,” Strelitzia said, “But I still get super nervous.”

            “That’s okay,” Skuld said, resting her elbow on the counter and her head in her hand, “Everyone gets nervous.” She glanced over to the dancefloor and gasped. “Here he comes,” she said excitedly, “Good luck.” With that, she slid off her stool and ran away.

            “Wait, what? Skuld!” Strelitzia’s brows pinched together as she watched her friend flee, and she heard the stool next to her slide against the floor. She turned toward the sound and found herself face to face with the DJ. She gasped softly. He was even more beautiful up close. She glanced over at the DJ booth, and saw that a new person had begun spinning the turn tables when she had not been looking, and turned back at the man before her.

            “Hey,” he said with a smile, resting his elbow on the counter.

            Strelitzia took a moment to respond. “Hi,” she squeaked.

            “How you doin’?” he asked, but not in a flirty, Joey Tribbiani kind of way. He sounded casual; like he actually wanted to know.

            “Um, good,” Strelitzia said, feeling her stomach grow tight.

            “My name’s Ventus, by the way, but you can call me Ven,” he said, holding his hand out for her to shake, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

            “I’m Strelitzia,” she said, shaking his calloused hand.

            “That’s an interesting name,” Ven said, “Like the flower?”

            “Yeah,” Strelitzia said, “The—”

            “Bird of Paradise,” they said in unison. Strelitzia smiled and nodded, but Ven frowned, casting his eyes downward.

            “Look, Strelitzia,” he said, looking back up at her, “I just wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. I shouldn’t have called you out in front of everyone, and I feel like a real jerk, so I’m sorry.” He ran a hand through his hair, giving her what he probably didn’t realize were puppy-dog eyes.

            “Oh, no, don’t apologize,” she said quickly, “It’s totally fine.” Ven shouldn’t feel bad on her behalf; he didn’t even know her.

            “Well, you looked pretty embarrassed, so…sorry,” he said again.

            “It’s fine, I promise.”

            Ven smiled sweetly at her again and she thought her heart might stop. “So, how come I’ve never seen you around here before?” he asked.

            “Well…” Strelitzia thought about that question for a moment. She could tell him that spending time with a big group of strangers filled her with absolute dread, or that even the thought of talking to a stranger one-on-one gave her terrible anxiety (such as right now), but she didn’t think Ven, an obvious extrovert since he approached her first, would respond well to either of those statements. “I don’t get out much.”

            “That’s a shame,” he said, “You should swing by more often. Do you live around here?”

            “Yeah just a few blocks away. What about you?”

            “Actually,” he said, glancing up, “I live upstairs.”

            “Upstairs?” Strelitzia asked, wondering if she had heard correctly.

            “Yeah, I own the place.”

            A lightbulb went off in Strelitzia’s head. The name of the club was “House of Ventus” just like this guy’s name was Ventus. It was literally his house. She probably should have realized the connection as soon as he said his name.

            “Wow, that’s pretty cool,” she said, mentally kicking herself for how lame that sounded.

            “Yeah, it’s alright,” he said, shrugging, “My dad used to own it, but gave it to me when he retired. It used to be named after him, ‘House of Eraqus.’”

            “Hmm,” Strelitzia said with a nod, though the name was unfamiliar to her. “I bet you don’t get a lot of sleep.” She pointed her thumb behind her to the screaming patrons dancing to the loud music. Ven laughed, and Strelitzia couldn’t help but smile at the joyous sound.

            “No, sometimes I have to sleep during the day,” he said, “It can be kind of disorienting sometimes.” He tapped on the counter with his fingers and didn’t say anything for a moment. “Do you want to head somewhere a bit quieter?”

            Strelitzia blinked and raised her eyebrows. Not only did this guy publicly announce that he wanted her number, but now he wanted actual alone time with her? How did she get so lucky on her first outing in years? She smiled.

            “I would love that,” she said, despite the churning in her stomach.

            “Alright,” Ven said, standing up, “Follow me.” He offered her his hand and she took it, blushing again as he led her through groups of people across the dance floor. Several people called out to him, inviting him to dance, but he only waved and continued walking, leading Strelitzia to a door that said “Staff Only.” He let go of her hand and pulled a keychain full of brightly colored keys attached to a green lanyard out of his pocket. Strelitzia missed the warmth of his hand in hers already. Ven searched through the copious amount of keys until finding the one he wanted and unlocked the door, pushing it open and beckoning her in with a smile.

            The only things in the small room were a few storage boxes, a flight of metal service stairs, and another door with a little window in it, leading outside. Ven jogged up the stairs and Strelitzia followed quickly behind, taking a brief moment to admire how well his jeans fit him. They reached a small landing with a single door and Ven turned the knob, opening it for her to step through.

            When Strelitzia entered the apartment, she first noticed how spacious the place was. The split level living room had warm brown hardwood floors, a high ceiling, and giant windows on the back wall that reflected the warm light of the standing lamps back into the room. Beneath the windows stood a brilliantly white grand piano and several other instruments. On the right side of the upperlevel, a metal spiral staircase led to a second floor, sitting above a brightly lit kitchen. She could see a glass dining table through an archway off to the right of the front door. On the lower level of the living room, a couch was pushed against the step up to the higher level, and a muscular, brown haired man sat on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table, flicking through channels on the large TV in front of him. He looked up at their entrance.

            “Terra,” Ven said with mild surprise in his voice, closing the door behind him, “I thought you were at Aqua’s tonight.”

            “I was,” Terra said, “But she got mad at me about something and made me leave.” He looked at Strelitzia and smirked. “Who’s you friend?” He turned the grin on Ven.

            “Oh, this is Strelitzia,” Ven said, running a hand through his hair, “Strelitzia, this is my brother, Terra.”

            “Nice to meet you,” she said with a smile and a wave, but hoped that Terra wouldn’t be joining them for the evening.

            “Why don’t you have a seat,” Ven said to her, “Terra, if you could help me in the kitchen. _Pretty please_?” Terra rolled his eyes and stood up, giving Strelitzia another smile as he walked past her. She sat down on the leather couch and heard Ven’s hushed voice from the kitchen as well as Terra’s soft laughter, though she couldn't make out what they were saying. She also heard the fridge opening and closing several times. After a minute, Terra emerged again.

            “Well,” he said, “It was nice meeting you, Strelitzia.”

            “You too,” she said.

            Terra went up the spiral stairs and disappeared behind the wall of the second floor just as Ven emerged from the kitchen, holding a silver platter.

            “I got you a selection of meat and cheese,” he said, setting the platter down on the coffee table along with his headphones and cellphone, “Unless you’re vegan, in which case I can put this back.”

            Strelitzia laughed, finding herself much more comfortable now that they were not around a lot of people or loud noise, as the music from downstairs pulsed only softly through the walls of the apartment. In fact, Ven’s real home was quite comfortable in general.

            “No, I’m not a vegan,” she assured him.

            “Oh, good,” Ven said, sitting down next to her, and popping a cheese cube in his mouth.

            “Nice place,” Strelitzia commented, looking around the room. She took a slice of salami off the platter and bit it in half.

            “Thanks,” Ven said after swallowing, “Terra’s girlfriend, Aqua, helped decorate.”

            Strelitzia giggled. “Well, she’s a very good interior designer,” she said, glancing behind her, spying the musical instruments once again. “So, do you play all those?” she asked, pointing.

            Ven smiled. “Yup, ever since I was a kid, dad had me in all sorts of lessons. I loved it.” He chuckled again and leaned his head back on the couch, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. “Want me to play something for you?” he asked suddenly, lifting his head to look at her.

            “Sure,” Strelitzia replied, smiling. Ven stood and stepped up to the upper level of the living room, passing various instruments on his way to the piano, and she followed after him, but not before grabbing a piece of cheese and popping it in her mouth. Ven sat at the piano bench, patting the spot next to him with a smile, and she sat down.

            Ven rested his fingers over the keyboard for a moment before beginning to play, gently pressing the keys. The song was slow and soft, and his fingers gracefully danced as he played the melancholy yet sweet tune. She watched him without a word and closed her eyes, letting the music penetrate her soul. It gave her a simple and clean feeling, something she hadn’t expected from a guy who had shook the building with his DJ mixing skills not even half an hour ago.

            The song came to a close on a note that sounded hopeful, and Strelitzia opened her eyes and looked at the piano keys, seeing Ven fold his hands in his lap.

            “That was beautiful,” she said softly, looking up at his face.

            “Thanks!” he replied, grinning, “I’ve been practicing that one since yesterday. Want me to play anything else?”

            “Oh, no, that’s okay,” Strelitzia said, “You probably have to practice a lot anyway.”

            Ven shrugged. “It’s really not that a big of a deal, but we can just talk if you want.” He stood up and stepped over the back of the couch and sat down again. Strelitzia also stood from the piano bench, but she walked around the way she came and sat next to him. “Alexa,” Ven called out to his automated music player, “play ‘slow jams.’”

            “Playing playlist “slow jams,” the robotic female voice said, and soft music began playing over surround sound speakers.

            “So,” Ven said, propping his head on his arm, “What do you like to do for fun?”

            Ugh, small talk. “Well, I’m really into gardening,” Strelitzia said, “My brother and I love taking care of flowers.”

            “Oh yeah?” he said, “Is that because you’re named after one or do you just like it?”

            Strelitzia giggled. “I just like it. What about you?” she asked, “What do you like to do for fun? Aside from music, of course.”

            Ven paused for a moment before his face cracked into a grin. “This might sound a little weird, but…Terra, Aqua, and I like to practice sword fighting.”

            “Sword fighting?” Strelitzia furrowed her brows. “Like fencing?”

            “Yeah, but with broad swords and shields and stuff like that,” he replied, smiling excitedly, and launched into telling her about different fighting techniques and what weapon is best for a certain situation. Strelitzia listened passively, not really understanding, but the smile on his face was too cute for her to interrupt.

            After a minute or so, Ven’s phone dinged on the coffee table. He glanced down and picked it up, chuckling at the message.

            “Terra says to stop boring you with talk about medieval fighting techniques,” he said, looking back at her, “Sorry.”

            Strelitzia laughed. “It’s okay,” she said, "So do you have any sisters, or is it just you and Terra?"

            "Just me and Terra," Ven replied, "Well, I do have another brother, Vanitas; he's my twin, but I don't see him very often."

            "Why not," Strelitzia asked.

            Ven shrugged. "It's kind of a long story. My dad adopted me when I was little, but Vanitas went to another guy. We tried to see each other a lot as teenagers, but nowadays, he's in and out of prison, so it can be hard."

            "I'm sorry to hear that," Strelitzia said, frowning.

            Ven shrugged again. "It is what it is," he said, "What about you? What's your family like?"

            "Well," she said, "I only have one brother, Larium, and he got married recently to his wife, Elrena. After college, I decided to move back to the city to be closer to them."

            “Did you leave anyone behind?” Ven asked, “Cute boyfriend, or anything like that?” He gave her a cheeky smile.

            Strelitzia shook her head. “No, I haven’t had a boyfriend since freshman year.”

            “Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve dated anyone either,” he said. Ven stared at the coffee table, but he seemed to be looking through it, lost in thought once again. Strelitzia didn’t say anything, knowing how important it was to just let someone be with their thoughts, and didn’t want to interrupt him.

            Ven looked at her and smiled softly. “Can I kiss you?” he asked.

            Goodness, this man was direct.

            Strelitzia’s eyes grew wide and her mouth felt dry as her stomach began doing somersaults. She blushed, dropping her gaze.

            “If it’s okay with you,” Ven said quickly, sounding almost frantic, “You can say no.”

            As nervous as she was, Strelitzia didn’t want to say no. She swallowed and said quietly, “It’s okay with me if you want to.”

            “Are you sure?” Ven asked skeptically.

            Strelitzia smiled and nodded, finally looking up at him. “Yes, I’m sure.”

            Ven grinned widely. “Really?” He bit his lip and said softly, “Cool.” He scooted closer to her and put one hand on her waist and the other on her cheek, leaning in far too quickly for Strelitzia to mentally prepare herself. She took a breath and closed her eyes, preparing for a forceful and invasive kiss, as his eagerness suggested Ven would give her. But that wasn’t the kiss she received.

            Ven pressed his lips firmly but gently to hers, and Strelitzia thought she might just pass out, so she let him do most of the work, feeling bad that she hadn’t brushed up on her kissing skills recently, but she tried to reciprocate the kiss as best as she could, all the while imagining that he was bound to recognize her inexperience and push her away. To prevent him from doing so, she put her hands on his chest, hooking her fingers over the collar of his shirt and leaned closer to him. Ven’s lips were soft and moved against hers with purpose, but not frighteningly so. It was a very sweet kiss, lasting for several minutes. Strelitzia’s face felt incredibly warm, and she couldn’t form any coherent thoughts, being as lost in the kiss as she was.

            When they had both run out of air, Ven and Strelitzia pulled slightly away from each other to take a breath, and Ven smiled at her mischievously.

            “You didn’t mention you were such a good kisser,” he said.

            Oh, good, she fooled him. “Thank you,” she said with a smile, “You are too.”

            “You know,” he began, gripping her wrist and running his thumb along her arm, “We could—” But Ven’s ringing phone cut him off. He sighed and picked it up off the table as Strelitzia removed her hands from his chest. “It’s the M.O.M.,” he said, shaking his head, “This better be good.” He answered the phone and held it to his ear. “Mom, what do you need? I’m with a client right now.”

            The person on the other line, Ven’s mother apparently, spoke for a few moments, and Ven’s face turned bright red. He glanced at Strelitzia before dropping his gaze and rubbing the back of his neck. Did his mom know that she was here? Was she scolding him for having a girl over? How embarrassing.

            “Oh, yeah,” Ven said to his mom, “I think she did.” He pulled the mic of his phone away from his mouth and said to Strelitzia, “That black-haired girl with the bangs is your friend, right? Her name is Skuld?”

            Strelitzia nodded. “Yeah,” she said, “Is she okay?”

            “Apparently, she started picking fights with some guys at the bar.”

            Strelitzia sighed. Drunken Skuld could be a bit…overbearing sometimes. “I should take her home,” she said regrettably.

            Ven nodded and held his phone by his mouth again. “We’ll be right down,” he said, and hung up.

            He and Strelitzia made their way back downstairs and into main room of the club. Strelitzia looked over to the bar area, trying to find her friend, but a large group of people blocked her vision. She quickly ran around the group, pushing her way past dancers, and skidded to a halt when she finally saw Skuld standing on a table, fending off the bartender/bouncer that served them earlier trying to help her down.

            “Skuld!” Strelitzia cried, “What are you doing?”

            Skuld looked over at her and smiled brightly. “Hi, Strelitzia!” she said, slurring her name terribly.

            Strelitzia rushed up to the table and reached her arms up to her friend. “Get down from there!” she demanded, “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

            “I’m _fine_ ,” Skuld insisted, but she let Strelitzia and the bartender help her down. “It’s those losers,” she gestured vaguely, “That are gonna get hurt.”

            “What’s going on, Mom,” Ven said, appearing behind Strelitzia, “Is she alright?”

            “Well,” the bartender said, “She’s totally hammered, but she hasn’t killed herself or any others yet.”

            Strelitzia furrowed her brows. “Did you just call him ‘Mom’?” she asked Ven. Apparently, it wasn’t his mother on the phone; it was this guy.

            “It’s short for ‘Master of Masters.’ Remember?” M.O.M. said with a grin. “Anyway, this chick needs to get out of here, or we’re gonna have a liability on our hands.”

            “Come on, Skuld,” Strelitzia said with a sigh, “Let’s take you home.” She put her arm around her friend, who insisted that home was no fun.

            “Let me help,” Ven said, pulling Skuld’s arm over his shoulder. They carefully guided her up the stairs and outside as she unsuccessfully tried to resist.

            Ven hailed a cab and they deposited Skuld safely inside. Strelitzia knew that she had to go with Skuld to make sure she got home safely, but she didn’t want to leave the guy that she had totally hit it off with. As soon as Skuld was sober again, Strelitzia was going to give her the rant of a lifetime. She sighed and turned to Ven.

            “Well,” she said, “I guess I should make sure she gets home okay.”

            Ven smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

            “I’ll see you later,” Strelitzia said, beginning to step into the car, but Ven stopped her with a hand on her arm.

            “Wait,” he said, “I would still like your phone number.”

            “Oh, right,” she said pulling out her phone. They exchanged numbers and Strelitzia smiled at his name in her contact information.

            “I’ll text you later, okay?” he said, smiling softly, helping her into the car.

            “I’ll be looking forward to it,” Strelitzia said looking up at him.

            “Bye.”

            “Goodbye.”

            Ven smiled one last time and closed the car door.

            Strelitzia gave the cab driver her address and settled into her seat as Skuld began to snore softly, having fallen asleep as soon as she sat down. Other than that, the ride home was quiet as Strelitzia thought about what had happened that night.

            Ven _kissed_ her. And she _let_ him. She smiled to herself, brushing her fingers against her lips, missing the warmth she had felt with his and wishing she could have stayed in his home longer.

            She sighed contentedly, promising herself that she would be back at The House of Ventus in the future, when her phone dinged. She pulled it out of her pocket and smiled at the message.

_Ven: Sooo it turns out I couldn’t wait very long to text you lol ;)_

            Strelitzia grinned and typed out her own message.

_Strelitzia: That’s ok with me :) I had a really great time hanging out with you tonight_

_Ven: I did too. Maybe we could spend some more time together. Are you free tomorrow? We could get lunch, or I guess it would be breakfast for us lol_

            Strelitzia looked at the clock on her phone, reading two in the morning. She chuckled softly.

_Strelitzia: Breakfast/lunch sounds great._

_Ven: We can meet at Scrooge’s Bistro if you want. Does noon work for you?_

_Strelitzia: Yeah, that works. Can’t wait to see you <3_

_Ven: You too ;)_

            Strelitzia didn’t receive any more texts from him on the ride home, but that didn’t worry her; she had secured a date with him! What would she wear? What could she eat that wouldn’t give her bad breath? Her stomach began to churn again, and she forced herself to take deep breaths, reminding herself of the amazing time she had with Ven earlier that evening.

            He was easy to talk to and she felt comfortable around him (for the half hour they spent together at least). Surely he would act the same way tomorrow. Strelitzia turned to Skuld to ask for her advice on the matter, but stopped when she saw that Skuld was still asleep. She smiled and shook her head at the snoring girl. It looked like Strelitzia was on her own with this one. But that was okay. It was time to get out of her shell anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Ugh, can these two be any cuter?


End file.
